The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-08-17
,..ry rowHipoEs SPARE LARGE CITIES.

4 few years ago an expert employed
5v the United States Signal Service de-
ciared that there was no conceivable rea-
son why tornado should spare large
city. lie even went so far as to say that
it was possible that funnel-shaped
cloud would one day strike New York,
vrecaing the city and twisting the great
Brooklyn bridge into corkscrew. The
Chicago Inter Ocean takes different
viewSstarting out with the assumption
that the immunity enjoyed by largo cities
in the past is solid ground for the belief
That there IS no danger to be apprehend-
ed. 1t is, nevertheless, admitted that
whirlirg aerial shaft having diameter
Of 1900 feet, and moving at the rate OF
800 miles an hour would crush the most
substantial buildings like so many egg
shells. The Inter. Ocean says:
'>The reason is very plain, and may be
easily understood, even by people IN
versed in scientific lore. The tornado at
The outset is a simple, whirling shaft OF
air, caused, as we believe, by the wind
currents from nearly opposite directions,
Of unequal temperature and different
degrees of humidity. When it is fairly
started on its course it generates I'M
mcnse quantities of electric fluid. In
act it becomes a swiftly moving dynamo,
generating enough electricity to make
# luminous, and leaving evidence of the
burning fluid in its pathway. 1t is the
theory of some who have written on the
subject that the tornado is primarily
caused by electric action, but this we
think is an error. The mistake is in
placing the effect for the cause. But it
is certain that after its inception electri-
city is generated, and that the subtle
fluid becomes one of the most important
factors of its destructive force.
''Passing over the country, the tornado
follows the general trend OF the larger
cyclonic storm, or area of low pressure.
It obeys the natural law of all bodies In
motion, moving in the direction OF the
least resistance. \ mountain, or other
considerable elevation of land, will break
it up or turn it aside. A city like Chi
cago presents an obstacle sufficient to
repcl the electrified meteorite and turn
1t 10 right or left. The city bristles with
rods and spires, end is covered by net
ting OF electric wires. These, together
with the vast aggregation OF metallic struc-
lures, disarm thunder clouds of their
destructive force, and at the same time
evidently tend to repel the more highly
electrified tornado. It is well known
that death or damage by lightning is OF
very rare occurrence in the centre of any
considerable city. The bolts may strike
in the suburbs, but il they descend in
the city they are arrested by much more
swittncss and certainty than depreciation
IS caught by the best. :"
However consohnS all this may be to
the dwellers in large cities, and however
strong the temptation to swallow the
theory whole, there still remains very
interesting question-how large must
city be to turn aside TeQ-devoloped
| tornado?
One thing, at least, seems to be estab.
lished. In the smaller towns it has been
found that buildings constructed of solid
masonry and good brick, put together in
workmarlike manner, resisted the
force Of the most violent storms. Coco
buildings, therefore, afford some protec'
ton. The fact that no structure will re-
sist column of air whirling along at the
rate of 500 miles an hour should moi
deter people from building their house:
il q proper manner. A tornado that
will destroy wcll-built house is no more
among the probabilities in this latitude
than is q destructive earthquake.